The Clan of Kadrali
by VioletMoon24
Summary: I have to admit that the Harry Potter Series did inspire me to write this story but it wasn't used as a basis for anything that I wrote. The summary is inside, I hope the journey to the realm of Kadrali is overwhelmingly joyous.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

_My breath came out in short gasps, as I gulped the freezing cold air through my eager lungs. My calves burned with that familiar, almost numb flame as I jogged along the curving trail. Thick tree's and the murky waters of a nearby bay were what surrounded me, the chirping of birds echoing through the sky in the early morning. It was there that I saw the silhouetted figure, crouching like an inhuman beast. I could barely make out the body, whether it was an estranged human or a deformed creature I could not tell from the far distance but my legs reeled; refusing to go any further in sheer panic. I assumed it was my paranoid instincts going into overdrive, but the mere glance at the silhouette sent a wave shivers up my spine. It seemed to be stooping over a smaller form on the ground, but its stance seemed to have a defensive manor to it. _

_I winced as a branch cracked under my feet, already watching as the creatures head shot up and stared right at me. Rays of sunshine seemed to seep through the thick clouds, radiating on the ground revealing the glistening brown fur and pitiless black eyes of a giant wolf; I held my breath. _

My arms thrashed in the crispy air of my room, my bed sheets falling to the ground as a gasped back into reality. My body was covered in cold sweat, tense and anxious for the wolf that had been haunting my dreams for the past week to spring from the dark corners of my room and glare at me with those black, deep eyes that bored into my soul in a way I didn't think possible. A quick glance at my phone and I knew it was too early to eat breakfast but the thought of going back to sleep and seeing those eyes again wasn't that appealing to me at the moment. I slunk out of bed, practically hauling myself to the shower. The overcast that had seemed to overwhelm me dissipated once the cold water shot from the shower head and onto my flushed skin. I closed my eyes, relaxing under the beating water.

It was wrong to take a shower so prior to the dream; my mind would soon wander out of lack of interest and replay the reverie in my thoughts like a gruesome horror scene. The dream itself wasn't at all frightening, the familiar musky scent of the forest and bay was soothing and peaceful but when the silhouetted figure came into view; the atmosphere was placated with edginess. A few times the wolf had paced a couple of feet closer to me, and all I could do was stand rigid in utter fear. Maybe I had seen it in a movie or TV show, or seen it in the zoo as a child. There _was _something eerily familiar about it; even the stance that I had seen countless times was proverbial. I had to have seen it _somewhere_; there was no other explanation to why the creature would be in my dreams. Maybe it had to do with something important…..something I was forgetting. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging in the lower floor of the house. I turned off the water swiftly and grabbed a towel from the rack, sliding it around me, my feet tapped against the cold, marble floor as I walked to the spiral stairs.

"Leah" my thirteen year old sister always was an early-riser "Did you drop a plate or something" No Answer. I padded down the stairs in attempt to catch her red handed stealing chocolate bars from our mothers stash.

"Holy sh-" I froze, clutching my dripping wet hair as my older brother Derek and his best friend Jared sneaked into the kitchen door leading to the backyard, Jared stared at me wide eyed. My mind suddenly registered that I was only wearing a towel, and my hair was dripping; heat blotched my cheeks.

"Oh god…I should…I'll go upstairs" I sputtered, as I spun back to the stairs as rapidly as I could; clutching at my towel for dear life. I threw on my old, paint splattered jean shorts from Hollister and a tank from my dresser, running a brush through my damp hair. I breathed in and out, trying not to remember the most thwarting moment of my existence. I padded down the stairs, my flip flops squishing under my feet, relieved that Jared and Derek were nowhere to be seen.

"It's cold outside Zoe" my mom glanced at my outfit

"And we're inside" I rolled my eyes "Calm down Mom, I'm not going to get hypothermia or something"

"If you get sick don't come to me for medicine" she shook her head. I ignored her, and walked to the kitchen door leading to the backyard

"I'll eat breakfast later, okay"

On the day of my birth, a pine tree had sprouted out of the ground of our backyard; showing its first stages of life. My parents thought it was a miracle, my dad growing up to become a pastor instantly assumed that it was the work of God, a sign that their first daughter would bring life into their family so they named me Zoe. As a child, I would climb the branches of the trees as it sprouted higher and higher than my baby like height could stand next to and boast that I was taller than a tree trunk. Instinctively my fingers wrapped around the stubby, but seemingly strong branch pulling myself up with ease. The cool air brush my skin soothingly, I sighed as the memories of my childhood flashed before my very eyes.

"Hey you okay" I instantly blushed at the all too familiar voice, Jared always did that; appear out of nowhere at random times and in times like these it was completely infuriating.

"I'm" I breathed "Fine. The question is what were you and Derek doing this morning?"

"Nothing important" He kicked a branch, it skidded against the grass. His presence was like a pulsing red light, radiating heat on your skin; never inconspicuous.

"As in, none of my business right; I'm just your best friend's annoying little sister and pestering neighbor"

He glance my way quizzically, a faint smile dancing on his lips "Is that what you think of yourself?"

"Not exactly" he sat beside me, his weight dropping the branch lower to the ground "Someone's packed on some weight"

"Shut up" he shoved me playfully, the loud snap of a wood breaking and giggles filled my ears as we thudded to the ground. He plopped on top of me, all his weight crushing my tiny frame. He chuckled and raised himself up with his elbows.

"Thanks for saving my fall" he smiled

"Thanks for toppling over me" all I could register was how close our lips were, and then he jumped back up holding a hand out to me in a sigh

"It's getting cold out" rubbing my hands with his fingertips as our hands intertwined, he didn't let go "I'll make breakfast"

"I'm sorry, I have midterms on Monday I don't want to miss my tests because of food poisoning" I taunted

"To bad, you have no choice"

"No please, not Jared's cooking" the imitation of a damsel in distress filling my features, he rolled his eyes "What's it going to be this time, if you say waffles I'm going to attack you right now"

"What's wrong with waffles?" he raised his eyebrows

"They are frozen, bricks in boxes" I informed him of my utter hatred in Waffles

"And pancakes are spongy, circles in packages of powder" he countered

"That's discrimination against pancakes!"

"Out of every girl I ever met, I have never ever fought with them about Pancakes and Waffles" he smiled

"I'm flattered, considering you've met thousands of girls"

"Do I hear a hint of jealousy?"

I rolled my eyes for about the fifth time this morning and walked up the cement steps "Do I hear a hint of caring"

"I've always cared about you Zoe" he frowned as if the statement wasn't obvious

"Doesn't seem like it" I scoffed under my breath, somehow he heard

"It's not my fault okay, Derek has the this strange opposition with us going out" the words that flew from his lips startled me as much as it sent a explosion of happiness to erupt "He's extremely against it as if I'm wrong for you, but you know what" he brushed my cheek, hands cupping the side of my face "I don't care anymore"

"I never knew about this" I managed to sputter

"Well, you know now and trust me I won't…."

"Jared" my body went rigid at the sound of my brother's voice "Can I talk to you for a minute" it was completely stupid of me to turn and meet my brother's icy dark blue eyes

"You don't need to listen to him, he's not your father" I whispered to Jared

"But I am his best friend" my brother grabbed Jared by the shoulders and hauled him to the door "Now go be a good Zoe, climb your stupid tree and stay away from my friend" I glared at him until I saw him walk upstairs through the glass of the door. And for a split second the wolf in my dreams, its glistening brown coat danced in my thoughts like the glistening rays of sun.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"It doesn't look right" Grace shook her head, glaring at the painting she had drawn for her art portfolio

"How" I examined the artistic strokes of colorful paint, a landscape of Dragon Lake Prairie Reserve that we had visited countless times although it was far away from my house on Porter Avenue. "You depicted the reserve so beautifully"

"I don't know" normally optimistic of all her paintings, Grace glared at if for some time until she placed it in her large portfolio in the filing cabinet the size of a closet.

"I can't draw for anything, but I know that if I saw your painting I would buy it" I smiled

"Yeah, yeah" she looped her arm around mine and guided me to the cafeteria "Are we still going to buy dresses in Westfield"

I groaned "But it takes so long to get there"

"Three hours isn't that long hun" she patted my arm

"Yes it isss" I groaned "Why can't we go to one of the outlets here" I argued

"Because clothes here don't fit my taste"

"Right" I rolled my eyes "I'll have to ask my mom, you're just lucky that we're finishing midterms this week. She would ring my neck if she even heard me speak of anything other than studying."

School was of all places the last place that I wanted to be at the moment, the constant topic of gossip that had been filling the conversations of about 100% of the girl student body was about the kid coming today. People described him as simply hot and dangerous, born in New York City and no parents. Word spread out that he had been thrown out of hundreds of private schools, public schools and catholic schools in his life time but he was tremendously rebellious to stay in any of them or stop himself from causing problems. Chloe Zane had miraculously attained a photo of him, jet black hair, pale skin and the lightest crystal blue eyes I had ever seen was scanned by every single girl in the school and by now they were drooling over the guy they hadn't even met yet.

Although he was quite handsome, he didn't really strike me as someone who I could picture embracing with, holding hands with more like the one who would break into my house and try to rob me. Grace and I pushed passed frantic freshman in their hast to get to class, staring at the upperclassman towering over them like skyscrapers and seniors too cocky to even take notice that they were blocking the hallways. Only until I felt a hand wrap around my waist did I jolt into a sudden halt.

"Zoe" I gasped at the touch, the ignition of a flame licking at the skin at where his hands lay. He pulled me away from the rushing students, along with Grace wrapped around my shoulder. "We need to talk" his voice was its normal husky tenor, but it rung with a sense of agitation

"What's wrong?" I barely noticed Grace, pacing to the cafeteria and saying that she would see me later

"Don't talk to him; don't do as much as look in his way"

"Who? What are you talking about Jared?" I narrowed my eyebrows

"The new kid" Jared hissed "Stay away from him"

"Don't worry I wasn't intending on being best friends with the guy"

"Just…heed my warning Zoe, if he tries to talk to you; ignore him."

"Alright, I don't what's so wrong I mean I've heard he's rebellious but I didn't think he was _that _bad"

"You will never know how much of a threat he is to everyone here" he hissed, seeming to glare at something ahead "I have to go now, I can't….just listen to what I said" he kissed my forehead, something that he had never done before and strode the opposite direction. Leaving me lightheaded and spinning in confusion I walked only two feet to come face to face with the person I was supposed to keep away from.

"Hey gorgeous, mind telling me where the cafeteria is?" he beamed, his eyes traveling up and down my body

"I was going there myself, you can follow me"

"Planning on it" he hung back, walking with me in only about one second of silence before my curious mind got ahead of me

"You're the new kid right"

"Already rumors huh?" one eyebrow arched "Call me Nick" he smiled

"Zoe" I smiled "Where did you live before this?"

"New York City" he said flatly "Filthy place if you ask me" I was surprised to just notice the faint English accent in his voice

"You don't sound American"

"That's because I'm not" he smiled "Europe is my home country"

"Hmm, anywhere specific that you would like to share" I questioned

"London" how his face was distorted instantly told me he wanted to change the subject "How about you, have you been living here for all your life?"

"As boring as Naperville can be, yes I have lived her all my life" I frowned "There isn't a day that goes by that I wish I could move"

He chuckled "There isn't a day that goes by when I think the opposite"

"So what brings you to Naperville, Illinois?" I asked, walking slower so the conversation could last. For the only one who hadn't been drooling over his picture, it was certainly obvious that I was hanging on to every single word that flew from his lips.

"The orphanage I was staying with found some distant relatives that live around here; they haven't died yet but give it a couple of months and its goodbye Illinois"

I laughed slightly "The Norman's?" I recalled the only old couple I knew in the small town, Mrs. Norman used to babysit me when I was 11 despite my constant refusal.

"No" seeming to be completely unacquainted with the Norman's "The Blair's"

"Who"

"You wouldn't know them, probably no one in this school does as well; they've been what you could call incognito for the past 20 years"

I raised my eyebrows tauntingly "So they're undercover agents, training you as their protégé"

"Of course" he laughed "What other explanation could there be?"

Jared wasn't a person to get mad easily, and even if you ticked him off in the slightest he would instantly control it. When the form of his muscular, lean body came striding into my English class, eyes narrowing in slits I was shocked into silence.

"We need to talk" he hissed "Now" completely unaware that a whole class of juniors were looking at us curiously, Mr. Hudson oblivious to Jared's presence.

"I'm kind of in class right now maybe we could…"

"Now" he ordered, pulling me by the wrists and hauling me outside. I flinched at the painful tightness of his grip on my skin "What did I tell you, didn't I tell you _not_ to talk to him and there you go walking with him to lunch!" he snarled

"I was just showing him the way…" my voice was barely even a whisper

"You were flirting with him" he growled

"SO!" I screeched "You're not my father Jared, I'm 17 I can flirt with a guy if I want too"

"You don't' understand he's…" he sighed, an expression of extreme yearning and agitation in his face "You would never understand"

"Not understand what" I questioned "What's wrong with you today? Why are you acting so hazy?"

He glared at me with the eyes of a mad man, his pupils dilating in pure frustration, and as deliberately as he had came into my English class he strode off to the opposite side of the narrow hallway, fists clenched on his sides and for the second time today I was left utterly baffled.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

"Don't give me that look Zoe, it's a school night"

"Technically it's after school"

"Tomorrow" my mother raised her eyebrows in pure disbelief "Do you think I'm going to let two 17 year olds drive all by themselves…"

"You see if you add our ages together, combined we're 32"

"Your mother doesn't have a sense of humor Zoe, it might work on me, but not on her" my dad walked into the kitchen, kissing my mom on the forehead looking exhausted with purple circles under his eyes

"Please mom" I begged "I've been getting good grades"

"Three B's, isn't good grades Zoe"

"I'm not failing whatsoever, that's got to count for something and I've been doing all my chores"

"It's still a school night"

"Just let her go Juliana" my father sighed "She deserves it"

"By herself" she exclaimed "All the way to Westfield"

"Grace knows self-defense" he shrugged "And it isn't the most dangerous place in the world, they'll be careful"

"Thank you" I kissed them both on the cheek and practically ran up the stairs and into my room. I tried to suppress the scream that tempted to sneak from my lips when I saw someone lying on my bed, quick flashes of the creature in my dream streaming before my eyes again like an eerie flashback.

"Did I startle you?" Jared questioned apprehensively

"Sort of" I smiled; my muscles relaxing. I threw my bag next to my desk, pressing the button to turn on my laptop and throwing the window open.

"It's cold outside" Jared pointed out, before I could as much as inch away from the window

"I know" I nodded "The cold wind relaxes me, I have a lot of homework to do" I sighed annoyingly at the stress that caused my head to pound in an aching manner

"I came here to talk to you" he announced as if it wasn't obvious "I'm sorry about today, I couldn't…I was just so outraged that you would even speak to him I mean you out of all…." He garbled in pure anger, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes; trying to relax himself. "You know he's dangerous Zoe, you shouldn't be talking to him"

"What's so wrong with him? I talked to him at lunch and he seems perfectly fine to me, no different than any guy in the school" at those words his anger seem to peak to its fullest, his body quivered uncontrollably, his eyes screaming at me that I was wrong in so many ways.

"You should…catch up…on that homework" he said in short gasps, as if merely talking would exploded his body into a billion of angered little pieces. I seemed to gaze at the door for some time, as though Jared would barge back in and push me against his chest; mumbling apologizes. But no one came through the door. No one apologized. And I was left alone, with the sound of the branches of the oak tree thudding against my wall outside by the brutal force of the wind.

It was sometime before I drifted to sleep over Pre Calculus homework and The Kite Runner folded in my right hand. My mind kept on wandering back to our conversation, the anger that seemed to bubble out of him in a way that I had never seen before and the eccentric look in his eyes when we talked about Nick.

"_You don't know how important this is" Nick clutched, the peridot tear shaped diamond necklace that had always hung around my neck. The forest had a fantasy like quality to it. Flakes of white snow fell from the sky, dappling the soggy, leafless branches of the bare trees. There was barely any light, relieved that moonlight was streaming from the small gaps between the trees. _

"_It's a birth necklace" I smirked "It isn't imperative to life, nothing vital" _

"_You're so naïve for a mundane, it's quite humorous"_

"_Well I'm sorry, that I'm not as sharp and robust as you are" _

"_You never know" he leaned closer to me, his lips a couple inches away from my neck "It's very simple, quite unproblematic if you ask me" he whispered as his cold lips touched the bare skin of my neck, my heart thudding in an unnatural pace. _

My fingers trailed the spot where his lips had been, somehow feeling the chill behind my fingertips. I glared at the barren ceiling of my room, I was going crazy…. I had barely even talked to him for a day and now he was plaguing my dreams with his presence. I shook my head in disgust, not one guy had failed to obtain that undesired effect on me. Countless guys before Nick had inundated my mind swamped it with thoughts of blasphemy. I could never quite contain that self control and resistance like Grace had, she seemed to be unfathomed by their charisma, that alluring aura that attracted me to them. I sat up from the painful position I was in, rubbing my hand to the plush pink mark on my cheek. It was barely 2 in the morning when I packed my bags, and put all my textbooks away, but even with my perfuse desire to occupy my mind my thoughts continually drifted off to Nick. Imagining the way his soft, ebony hair brushed against his pale white skin and how he looked up at you with soft crystal blue eyes that penetrated your skin. I mused pinching his biceps as he gloated on how he worked out in the gym 24/7 like all the other guys.

For a minute, it seemed relaxing to think about him and him only but then I didn't want to be daydreaming about him. An uneasy feeling swept through me when I thought of his name, like he would barge into my room and catch me fantasizing about him. I took one glance at the dark morning, the glistening stars dotting across the vast landscape of a sky and slipped into my sandals. Walking downstairs had to be the hardest thing I had ever done, the floor boards of the stairs seemed to screech loudly under the pressure of my weight and the house seemed to creak at every given second. I had collided with the coffee table, the vase with purple tulips in the living room and the latch of the door to the backyard praying that my parents wouldn't arouse from their slumber.

I sighed at the pine tree, prevailing itself for the past years. I picked up the forgotten branch that had broken off only yesterday…was it yesterday. It was shocking how much Jared's emotions had changed. He seemed to always be on edge, ready to explode at the next person who came his way. I chucked it against a feeble tree on the other side of the yard that lead to a deep forest. I remember being scared of that forest, pondering on how one day a foul creature would find its way into our backyard and eat us all. But my foolish child mind didn't take into account that the only signs of living in that forest were the many hundreds of birds and insects and the never ending greenery.

An uncontrollable shiver ran through me as I sat on a higher branch on the tree, feeling faintly childish I climbed my way higher giggling to myself as I saw the markings of my initials and the years. Like marking your height on a wall in the kitchen, I had climbed the branches of these trees and marked the bark with my dad's old pocket knife on how high I could go. I had once reached high enough to see the roofs of all the houses around the block, all the way to my high school, Collingwood High. Jared used to climb with me and effortlessly draw the landscape with charcoals, sometimes with pastels. He never looked like someone to be fascinated in the art world; he had picked up on countless techniques over the summers and was partly the reason why Grace became a better artist. I had always been jealous of the connection Grace and Jared had, as if they knew something that I didn't, part of a secret group that I could never join. I envied her for that, but she was my best friend and a mere boy wasn't going to get in the way. I hadn't notice that I had reached a part of the tree that I had never been to before, the highest peak, until I felt the ice cold wind slap against my face. It was much more beautiful in this shade of light, when the sun was filling the now dark blue sky with its rays of light. I clutched the thick branch under my fingers, a unnerving aspiration to stay at this spot and never move again but as the sun flung higher and higher into the sky, blinding me with its light, I descended to the ground inhaling the musky scent of the only thing that had been brought from my childhood that could ever actually matter to me.

Not in the mood for eating, I snatched a floral patterned brown skirt, a brown leather jacket and one of the many green tanks that I owned. My emotions seemed to waver from the tired, ponderous side to the frilly, hyper side; I had snatched my blackberry and typed a few words before I could stop myself to Grace.

Hey friend

While curling my hair, my phone vibrated in my jacket pocket what I thought to be Grace's response. I waited until the last strand of my hair fell on the side of my head in dark ringlets to read the text message.

What are you doing texting so early? Had a nice night with your new boyfriend???

I stared wide eyed at the white text on the screen, my eyes re-reading every single word. Boyfriend?

What are you talking about?

Immediately, as if she knew what I was going to say the phone started vibrating in my palm.

Don't play dumb with me; you know exactly what I'm talking about! You and Nick are going out aren't you; everyone's saying you guys were flirting at lunch! No wonder you never came back, I'm happy to know you picked a guy over your best friend!

I took in a sharp breath of air as I read the text, long enough to be a paragraph. Nick and I? Together? Not that I hadn't yearned for that to be reality, but I didn't think just talking to him at lunch would be considered dating. My grip on the phone grew tighter, why were people gossiping about this? It was complete foolishness, who in the right mind who think that talking to someone meant…abruptly the words that had escaped Jared's lips in the hallway yesterday rang in my ears.

_You were flirting with him. _

Anger boiled in me, infused with my crimson red blood. He had started this, he had probably told the closest girl to him in his attempt for me to stay away from Nick. I texted back furiously, having a difficult time when all I wanted to do was break the phone in half.

WE WEREN'T FLIRTING! Where did that they get that from???? I seriously don't understand why everyone's spreading these stupid, deceitful rumors! We aren't going out! I barely know him, I'm sorry I left you by yourself at lunch; I won't do it again I promise.

I tucked my phone into my jacket pocket, a crease forming on my eyebrows over the billion stares that would be awaiting me at Collingwood High, hushed voices whispering my name and glaring at me with envious eyes and a permanent scowl on their faces.


	4. Chapter 4

This one is by far the longest chapter I have ever writen in my life, and I'm proud to say it. I think most people won't be shocked by the turn of events later in the chapter because I had hinted slightly of supernatural and mystic characteristic that this story contains so here it goes :) hope you enjoy it!

-VioletMoon24

* * *

CHAPTER 4

I was dreading this class all day, my favorite elective class Creative Writing and also the only class I had with Jared. As soon as I walked into the door, stubbing my toe painfully against the metal doorframe with my friend Laura I slid into my seat in the back and occupied my attention with trying to find the pencil that I had thrown across the room in my bag. But as always Jared's unavoidable presence forced my eyes to look up and lock with his, he gave what looked like a forceful smile and sat next to me; I went rigid.

"Zoe" simply saying my name

"Don't talk to me" I glowered

"What did I do this time?" he chuckled

"You just ruined my life you know that right! I can't step one inch outside without getting about two dozen glares from ever girl in the whole school."

"What do they think we're going out or something?" he laughed, but I could tell it was shammed

"Get over yourself" I sneered "They think _Nick_ and I are going out"

To my words he flinched back into his seat, as if they had been poison. "How did they come across that?"

"Oh, maybe you should ask yourself"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you're finished chatting over there" Mr. Redmond yelled at Jared and I, he was drinking from a giant red mug steaming of tea "I would like you to take out your Tankas, they will be-"

I instantly shivered at the voice that interrupted Mr. Redmond, wishing that he just disappear from the face of the earth and never come back. "Mr. Redmond can I have a Zoe Hoffman"

"Of course, Zoe" he glanced my way and continued with the lecture

"Mr. Redmond" Jared stood up right when I had walked to the front of the room "I should go with her you know, watch out for umm….you know, he might rape her or something"

"What are you saying?" Nick looked at him, baffled "I'm not going to rape her"

"You never know, and even so you never know how many dangers there are in that hallway"

"Yes, yes Mr. Garrett all those pesky flies are troublesome; you may go" Mr. Redmond seemed to be in a trance like state, but handed the hall pass to Jared without trouble. Jared gave a grunt of approval and padded to the front door, glaring at Nick.

"Long time no see _Jared_" he sneered "Is that what they call you now? So mundane" at that word I instantly reeled, stubbing my toe against the frame of the door. That word…

"That's none of your business _Nick_" he countered with the same amount of malice "Now get out of the way, we don't have much time left"

Wide eyed, and as baffled as an individual could be I shuffled out of the classroom and out into the barren hallway. I could hear Nick and Jared whispering like two best friends, snickering and laughing as they lead the way, seeming to forget that I was trailing behind them completely confused. Despite the chilly atmosphere my palms were clammy, and my fingers couldn't stop fidgeting around my thin belt. I wanted to ask where we were going, why Nick had asked for me, what was going on? But my lips continued to be sealed throughout the whole walk until we got to a car. In a place like Naperville, you really didn't see cars like this. Flashy, overbearingly expensive and sleek, nevertheless I stared enviously at the silver Range Rover higher than me by a couple of inches.

"You picked the one car that would turn everyone's heads" Jared rolled his eyes "Nice work" he said sarcastically

"I never did enjoy the old fashion trucks; you should know that by now"

Jared sighed choosing now to notice my presence and opened the back seat of the car for me titling his head to the side. "Now we could do this the easy way or the hard way, just please don't make me have to hurt you"

"You want me to get in the car" I edged back, understanding washing over me "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out" he said nonchalantly

"That's not an answer" I spat at him "Tell me or I'm not going anywhere"

"You're sure about that" his jaw clenched "Just remember I warned you"

Everything turned cold, cold and dark. I swept in a vast pool of darkness that seemed to drown me in my stance, fluttering my eyes closed. I couldn't breathe, as if the dark water was clogging my lungs and then everything became numb; nothing but the dull feeling of numbness throughout my whole body.

I could only recall faintly what happened after, despite the fact that my body was left numb and cold I could still slightly hear the conversation that Jared and Nick were having as the shoved my lifeless body in the back seat.

"Why did you do that?" Jared roared "She's only a mundane, you could have killed her!"

"I wasn't going to kill her"

"You never know that"

"She's….I wouldn't risk her, I only sedated her"

"Can she hear us?" there was a faint manner of apprehension in his tone

"I don't think so" Nick said gruffly

"Where exactly are we going" Jared questioned after a seemingly long silence

"My place, it's completely isolated from the town"

"Smart choice, wish I could live with you. Then I wouldn't have to sneak out of my house at the crack of dawn or hide my game in the basement" Jared sighed, frustrated

Nick seemed to find that amusing "In the basement" an undertone of his accent "I remember those days, don't worry your folks will die out soon enough and then you can live however you want"

"Don't treat me like a kid" Jared sneered

"You are, compared to me" he laughed

"Your 18"

"And your 17"

Jared seemed to growl at that in a vial, inhuman way almost sounding like a threat "You got a problem with that soul eater"

"No, dog just fine with it" Nick countered "We better go, that stupor tonic that you put in Mr. Redmond's tea will wear off in any second"

The doors slammed shut, and the squeal of tires against rubber filled my ears. I felt like shivering, but I couldn't feel any part of my body. Dog….bloodsucker….game….their inane babble was staring to perplex me profusely, for a second I swore that this was all a dream…maybe I had fallen asleep in American History and never went to Creative Writing, but I had remember when walking in the hall that I had stubbed my toe against the door frame. The conversation between Jared and Nick seemed to become muted and the darkness finally swept over me like a thick blanket; blocking everything out but the endless thoughts that bounced in my head annoyingly.

My whole body was aching in soreness, my calves burning as if I had run a marathon; my head pounding in an unnerving headache. My eyes seem to be incapable of seeing clearly, barely able to stare at the room that I had so miraculously ended up in. The walls were stripped, pale and barren just like the room. The only piece of furniture was the thin, itchy cot that I was resting on. I propped myself up with my elbows, heaving my body upwards so I could get to my feet. They wobbled instantly as the soles of my feet touched the ground, as if they hadn't felt solid floor in days. My eyes were watery and crusty, I yearned for a hot shower but was scared to step foot out of the room. There were no windows; the only source of light was the oil lantern that was hanging on the ceiling as if someone had nailed it to the cement. I paced nervously, trying to acquire any strength left in me. This wasn't right…how could I just randomly end up in this barren room without any recollection of how or when I had come here. I frowned at the room once again knowing that if I had any other choice I would have never chose this room, but I could be in an apartment for all I knew. Then it dawned on me, like a fresh wave of ice cold water as you pad on the soggy sand. Nick, Jared they had brought me here. I glared furiously at the door wondering if they were lingering around this place, sniggering and chuckling about how they so easily kidnapped Zoe Hoffman.

I mentally slapped myself for being so weak and stupid, for not fighting back like anyone else would…should do, but then I remembered the strange darkness that overlapped me in the parking lot. That numbness that overcame me, made my legs buckle and my whole body go limp. In my endless train of thought I didn't notice the door flying open and two figures stepping inside almost cautiously.

I came to my senses instantly at the sound of the knob of the door hitting the cement "You!" I shrieked "Where am I? What did you do to me in the parking lot? Why am I here?" only a couple of the questions that slipped from my lips in my endless tuft of rage

"Calm down Zoe" that was Nick's voice, my hand instantly twitch yearning to smack him hard across the face "We aren't going to hurt you, we will answer all of your questions soon just...calm down okay I can't concentrate with your screaming"

"What do you expect me to do?!" I exclaimed "Just go along with this outrageous nonsense like it _isn't _out of the ordinary"

"Could you please just shut up" he bounded on the tips of his feet "I swear you haven't changed a bit have you, just as stubborn and annoying as ever"

"What?" I growled "You don't even know me"

"I know you better than you think" he sneered, we were now inches apart; breathing heavily.

"OKAY" Jared yelled over our argument "I think we should just all think this out like normal individuals-"

"There's nothing normal about any of us Jared, if you don't recall. What now you've taken her side! Think that you can charm your memory into thinking that you were nothing other than human"

"That wasn't-"

"No, but it always is. I can see it, when you talk about our world, that undertone; the others might not hear it but I can!"

"I don't want to hear your assumptions Nick" Jared snapped "Not only are you pissing me off, but your confusing _her_" he pointed sharply at me "You might be able to break the charm, but for now she is as dumbfounded as a mundane"

"That word"

"Yes we know all about your dream" Nick sneered

"How is that possible?"

"Because I was the one who made it" Nick's tight lips cracked into a smile

"Which I completely disagreed with" Jared growled "I told you she wasn't going to remember, the memory charm is unbreakable unless the wizard who conjured it undoes it"

"It was something of our past" Nick continued, completely oblivious to Jared "One of the memories"

"_Memories_" I sneered "Don't you understand, we have never met before! We don't know each other!"

He chuckled at that "Can we please bring in Divaldi so I don't have to deal were complete idiocy of our world"

"Did he just-"

"Zoe" Jared silenced me with look that could only be described as a glare "RUDOLPHO" he bellowed

The sound of feet harshly banging against the wooden floor boards sounded through the house "She's finally woken up, I've been getting tired of eating stale bread for the past days" a man that seemed to be almost 6 feet tall barged into the room, looking extremely wary and agitated. His dark brown unruly hair barely brushed his shoulder; he didn't look older than 18.

"Meet Rudolpho Divaldi, the one who created this hell"

"Blame it on her" Rudolpho jabbed a thumb at me "She threatened me to death if I didn't do her biding. And please Zoe call me Divaldi, my ignorant mother…couldn't find use of her own intelligence to conjure up a decent name as much as my father did"

"Right" I said breathlessly

"Your confusing her again" Jared said quietly, but loud enough for me to hear "Just break the charm already I'm getting-" a loud crash echoed through the house and the three men cursed under their breath, the room seemed to take a tense aura to it.

"We need to hide her" Divaldi hissed "That's the only reason they are here, so they can reinstate the clan, you don't know how much pride and honor they will receive for bringing _the_ Zoe Hoffman back"

"Why am I so important?" my voice sound strange in conversation like I didn't belong in it

"Why am I so important she says" Divaldi laughed "I must say, she's my best work so far"

"Oh shut up, and let's go. Hey give her back her necklace; she'll need her abilities back" Nick ordered Divaldi. Before I could register their conversation, what was happening, or what they were doing I caught the peridot necklace from my dream, my arm instantly shooting up to catch it. I gasped at the cool touch of the diamond, the only piece of real jewelry I owned was a pair of stud earrings but the rock in my hand was so much more different. It felt heavy and cold in my palm but a strange sense of rejuvenation washed through me, I clasped the golden chain around my neck; fingering it with my thumb.

"How do you feel?" Jared raised his eyebrows; I had not noticed that everyone was staring at me

"Strange" I whispered, my body felt weightless like the air became zero-gravity, my pupils stung uncomfortably and my eyes focused and converged, trying to catch ever single inch of the room.

"You always looked hot with crystal blue eyes" Nick smiled, my ears seemed to be keen to his voice, it rang in my ears like an echo.

"What?" my voice sounded different as well, strangely melodious and harmonious

"I told you we should have put the necklace on her while she was sleeping. It's going to take some time for her to get used to her new body"

"New body" I questioned "I'm completely the same as I was two seconds ago"

They all seem to laugh manically at that, glancing my way as if I was some poor, idiotic deer that ran dead on against a car. It instantly died down when the door crashed open, five hooded figures leaning against the door way wearing ebony black cloaks that masked everything but their striking crystal blue eyes; almost identical to Nick's eyes.

"Here for more gold, I've been pretty loaded these past few months. I mean I'm not bragging or anything but" Nick blabbed, only to be interrupted by an outlandish sound, like five billion bees humming furiously; a strange hissing sound that my ears somehow were used too. I knew that five minutes ago that sound would send me flinching and covering my ears…what was happening to me?

"We want the girl" a female voice sneered

"She's not up for grabs" Jared growled, he was glaring at them infuriately as if he couldn't bear the sight of them.

"Be careful dog you don't want to upset an Eron" The voice of a man from the hooded group hissed

"I've already had my fair share of experiences with your kind" he glanced sharply at Nick

"We are utterly ashamed of you Nickolas" the woman growled "Associating with filthy creatures and demented sorcerers"

"I'm not demented" Divaldi growled, he pulled out a scrubby looking wooden stick "Don't ever insult the name of sorcerers, our kind is the reason why-"

A scream escaped my lips before I could even register what was happening, a ball of fire had ignited on Divaldi's body, burning him into a pill of ashes. Shouts of rage ricocheted, but it was very faint, as if someone had turned the volume down; my legs gave out and I fell to the floor with a large thud.

"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU JUST DID?" Nick was shouting "YOU KILLED THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD BREAK THE CHARM, YOU DESTROYED ANY CHANCE OF BRINGING HER BACK"

"What can I say" finally one of the hooded figures stepped out of the darkness and pulled off her hood revealing a beautiful pale face and the striking eyes that I could never erase from my memory "He was becoming extremely agitating, I never did like him much" she didn't look any older than my age, although I had pictured her to be quite older by the sound of her sneering voice.

"ANGELINA" Nick roared "ARE YOU INSANE! SHE CAN NEVER HAVE HER MEMORY BACK!"

"She can still be part of our clan, and the necklace contains her abilities, I'm quite aware that she made that" she jabbed at the pile of ashes "conjure a Safeguard on it, so there is no way she could break it" speaking of me like I wasn't in the room

"That doesn't mean anything to me if she doesn't have her memory back" Nick spat out through clenched teeth

"You'll get your precious Zoe back soon enough" she laughed coldly

"She's as good to me as a mundane" Nick growled and for some reason I flinched as if it were an insult

"So that means we can have her?" she smiled, the tips of her lips dancing into a cruel smile.

"NO" Nick growled "Now before I kill you in the same level of ruthlessness that you did to Divalidi, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE"

"I see that we aren't welcome here" Angelina glanced around the room hesitantly "We will go now" and with a hiss they disappeared from thin air, leaving the room with it the tension and agitation

Only when the aching pain of my knees against the rough wooden floor came to my senses did I remember I was kneeling on the ground near the pile of burnt ashes; the only thing left of what was Divaldi. I had never seen death before, never came close to it, my family always seemed to be healthy so when I saw Divaldi die before my very eyes all I could do was cry, cry and moan for his loss even though I barely knew him.

"Zoe, everything's okay, everything's fine" Jared was rubbing a warm hand on my back, kneeling next to me

"NO" Nick growled, something I had now understood as normal "Everything _isn't _okay, everything _isn't _fine. We lost her, her memory…is gone" he looked at the hanging oil lantern with a vacant, half-crazed expression

"She's not dead Nick, once she has adjusted to the change we can use her to fend off the clan"

"I don't want to harm her" Nick rumbled "We don't need her to fight off the clan that threw us out when _we_ needed them"

"Yes we _do_" he jeered "You know as perfectly well as I do that she was, and still is one of the most power fullest Erons"

"Doesn't look like it" Nick grunted

"Just stop complaining; either you help us or leave"

There was an awkward silence between the two, my eyes seemed to divert to both of them. I stared at each of them for a sign of communication, an agreement. Nick seemed to be thinking extremely hard on something, his brow was creased and his lips frowned in a temporary pout. Jared was just about to pick me up and rest me on the cot when Nick padded over to me.

"I'll take her" Nick held out his pale white arms, he held me effortlessly being careful not to make eye contact

"Can someone please" my eyes had fluttered close, and my throat seemed extremely parched "Explain to me, what the hell is happening"

"You're an Eron" Nick said simply, as if the words were conventional "Well you _were _an Eron, but that necklace right there, the one that you saw in your dream, it contains an unknown power designed to support the abilities of any creature. It's very rare, there isn't one person in the world, mundane or not, who wouldn't want their hands on it"

"But in the dream you said I was a mundane" I argued

"Of course you were human" he explained "I had to be cautious of what I was showing you, as to not give you any knowledge whatsoever of our kind"

"How exactly did you 'show me' the memory?" I glared at him, puzzled beyond belief

At that he smiled widely, looking pleased with himself "I can play with people's mind, I'm a physic"

"So you can read my mind" I gasped, instantly thinking about last night

"No, that's something I unfortunately _can't _do" he sighed

"So, I'm human"

"No" he shook his head violently as if the words he was about to utter were to send him to the deepest pits of hell "Later in that memory, I touched your birthmark"

"My birthmark" I questioned

"Every Eron, well every natural-born Eron has a birthmark that when touched by their own kind can initiate their transformation"

"But that doesn't make any sense; I don't think I've ever shot out fire from my palms."

"That's your fault" Nick growled "You asked Divaldi two years ago to put a memory charm on you, so you forget everything about the magical world completely. You made him take the necklace away from you as well so you had no way what so ever to know what you are"

"But I didn't know Divaldi two years ago"

"Memory charm" he rumbled "Not only did he wipe your memory clean of your past but created an alternate world that never existed. Just to let you know, your family isn't really related to you"

"Yes they are" I argued

"No they aren't, they are highly trained Eron's who were ordered to look after you in case someone like Jared and me comes to look for you"

"That's why Derek doesn't like you" I gasped, staring at Jared with feelings of understanding. "But they don't look like Eron's" thinking back to the pale face of Angelina

"That's because they are _highly_ trained, all of them can morph into humans. Those memories about the tree, about trips to other cities, boyfriends" he said the word like it was a disease "They never existed, everything was a fraud"

"Grace" I whispered "What about Grace?"

"She's driving up here" Jared spook up for what seemed like a long time "She's a werewolf, she's second ranking in my pack"

"As in" I gulped "Pack of wolves" he simply nodded his head "She can't be, Grace is completely human I'm sure of it"

"Why do you think we were trying to convince you not to get close to Nick" Jared said

"She never…"

"There wasn't any rumors" Jared argued "She made that up, so you would be forced to never speak to Nick again, but our plan didn't go out as we wanted it to be"

"We knew that the clan of Eron's was coming" Nick sighed "So acting rash, Jared slipped a potion into Mr. Redmond's tea and we ran off"

"Thinking that they wouldn't find us…" Jared muttered

"But why didn't you want me to talk to Nick in the first place?" I inquired exasperatedly

"Because we were worried that with the mere sight of me, you would bring back some form of your memory, which didn't happen unfortunately" Nick explained "But I had to come here, I had to see you again"

"Again" I squeaked, becoming extremely exasperated by all the information

"Let's just say Nick and you had a very close relationship in the past" Jared laughed

I stared questioningly at Nick, who was averting my gaze.

"Were we dating?" I asked

"We were inseparable" he looked as if even the words caused him pain "When you left, I swear the only reason I stayed alive was because of Jared"

"But then if Jared knew that, then why did he tell me in the backyard two days ago that…" Jared cut me off with a loud cough that instantly silenced my question "Why did I leave?" my voice was barely audible, hardly a whisper

"Because you were tired of the magical world, you wanted to be as close to human as you could get. You were tired of all the undeserved admiration you got from others just because you were extremely powerful"

"Me." I laughed "Powerful, I can barely even pick up a 15 pound weight"

"You made yourself like that" he shrugged "You wanted to be the complete opposite of what you were; weak"

"But now…"

"Your back" Jared sighed "Your semi-human days are over" he leaned against the cold cement of a wall "The only bad thing about it is, that we aren't the only ones who know about it"

"How is that bad?" I queried

"Did you not see that group of Eron's that killed Divaldi?" Nick roared "They were after _you, _now that you're of age to join a clan every single Eron wants you"

"Not only Eron's Nick" Grace stumbled into the room breathlessly, holding the keys to her Volvo in her fingers "Ever single creature that knows of her existence" Before I could stop myself I flung across the room, grasping Grace into an embrace. "I didn't know I was being missed so much"

"I think Zoe's going under shock" Nick laughed "Just wanted to see a familiar face for assurance"

"Way to lower my self esteem" Grace sneered

"Don't mention it" he raised a hand to her lazily

"You were saying?" Jared raised an eyebrow to Grace, completely oblivious to their banter. I had composed myself, and forced myself to release my tight hold on Grace; inching back to the cot.

"I was driving back, and let me tell you it wasn't easy to get here; I seriously underestimated your ability of navigation. I saw the truck parked on the outskirts of the forest and then I just followed Jared scent. If it weren't for that I would have been roaming that forest for days"

"Why didn't you just change, it would have been much easier as a werewolf" Nick questioned, she simply tapped her nose and mouth supernatural senses.

"So where's Divaldi I really want him to take a look at my car, it's making these strange noises" she looked confused as she took in our exasperated, sullen faces at the mention of Divaldi's name "What, what's wrong?"

"They killed him" Jared hissed "Burned him to a pile of ashes" At his words Grace seem to make a choking sound, collapsing to the floor. I was happy to know that I wasn't the only one who fell into shock at the death of Divaldi, but I couldn't bring myself to be joyous when a pile of human remains was lying on the ground.

"Those indecent, immoral, bothersome creatures!" she growled "Why did they kill him? Divaldi never interfered in any of their obligations, he was never into the whole dilemma; he brought up a fight even when we came to him to bring Zoe's memory back" As if she had just noticed me for the first time, her head snapped up and locked my gaze with hers "NO!" she slammed her fists against the wooden floor "NO, NO, NO!"

"If you weren't related, I would have thought that you and Nick were twins" Jared scoffed

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY" Grace roared "Her memory, it's gone. We have no other way of…" she gasped, as if a bolt of lightning shot through her and then she was smiling. "I have a plan"

"If it's another inane idea of yours that you heard from one of your friends in Kadrali I'm not listening" Nick got up hastily

"What's Kadrali?" I whispered, again they all looked at me as if I was some poor defenseless dear

"She seriously has no recollection whatsoever of her past" Grace whimpered "Zoe, that's where we were all born; our hometown"

"Where exactly is Kadrali?"

They all smirked at this; it was like asking questions to an arrogant adult who was chief of some high society "Not in this world" Nick laughed

"There are other worlds" I gasped "My head is starting to hurt" I rubbed my temples with my forefingers. I didn't understand how one person could take up all this strange information and go on with their life like it was as bothersome as piece of lint on your clothing. I was an Eron…what exactly is that? What special 'abilities' did it entail? How was my childhood in Kadrali? Who were my real parent's? If Nick was a physic, did it mean I was a physic too? The question seemed to come non-stop and it seemed like they wouldn't discontinue unless they were answered. I rested my pounding head against the itchy cot, closing my eyes and wishing that when I open them I would be in my bed at home…safe and normal, but when my eyelids popped open nothing but the barren room stared back at me.

"I think we should take her to my place" Grace suggested "My parent's could help out; they have books in the library"

They both seemed to groan at that "I hate that library, I've spent a good time of my existence in it and I don't think I could take another minute of any form of reading whatsoever" Nick whined

"Fine, I guess you guys don't want Zoe's memory back" Grace countered, they groaned again but heaved forward to the door, only when all three of them had reached outside and into the dark hallway had they glanced back at me.

"Zoe, let's go" Jared beckoned me to the hallway

"I think she's still in shock" Nick whispered

"I can hear you; you know" I snapped "And I'm not going through shock!"

"First step is denial" he sniggered; I rolled my eyes and walked to them before I could blink, quicker than any normal person would have done.

"I see her agility is starting to improve" Jared said

"I almost forgot" Grace yelped, fetching a mirror from the bag that I had not noticed before. She tossed it to me, my strangely quick reflexes caught it before it could hit the ground, but what I wasn't prepared for was the beautiful, pale girl that stared back at me. The girl looked sullen and exhausted deep purple lines under her striking crystal blue eyes. Her chiseled albino features played good in contrast with her ebony black hair.

"Is this…me" I breathed heavily, in taking the change "How did this happen?"

"The advantages of being an Eron" Nick shrugged "Perfect looks, teleportation and the inexhaustible thirst for human souls"

"Thirst for what" the girl in the mirror frowned

"We will explain this to you in the _car_" Grace snatched the mirror back from my hold and took my hand to lead the way; it wasn't as dark as I thought it was. My eyes instantly adjusted to the lightning like there were light bulbs lined against the ceiling. What I assumed was an old house, creaked and groaned while the harsh wind slammed against it. The usual Zoe would have tripped over that worn, moldy rug and fell over the gap of broken wood on the stairs but my new body seemed to be keen to my surroundings; jumping when it needed to jump, averting when it need to avert. My limbs moved on their own free will. It was like an unknown force had taken over my body but I was still somewhat free to do as I pleased. I was lost in the large, old house my legs steering only to the direction that Grace led me too.


End file.
